herofandomcom-20200223-history
Virgil Tracy
Virgil Tracy is the third son and the television show Thunderbirds, the subsequent films Thunderbirds Are GO and Thunderbird 6 as well as the TV remake Thunderbirds Are Go!. He is the pilot of Thunderbird 2, and is dubbed 'The Peacemaker' of International Rescue. in the original, Virgil was voiced by American actor David Holliday for the 26 episodes of series 1 (1965). When Holliday was no longer available, British-Canadian actor Jeremy Wilkin provided the voice for the 6 episodes of series 2 (1966) and the two feature films. Biography As the third son Jeff Tracy (instigator and financier behind International Rescue), Virgil was named after a Mercury 7 astronaut called Virgil "Gus" Grissom. After studying at Denver School of Advanced Technology, he took up his role in International Rescue as principal pilot of Thunderbird 2. Besides piloting the delivery carrier of the rescue equipment he is usually called upon to operate the equipment and effect a rescue on site. Virgil occasionally pilots other Thunderbird crafts, for instance in "Ricochet", Virgil is seen piloting Thunderbird 3 on return from Thunderbird 5 after helping sort out a communications blackout that put International Rescue out of operation for a couple of hours. Virgil is as dedicated to his calling as any of his brothers. For instance, in "Terror in New York City," when Virgil is seriously injured when TB2 is mistakenly attacked by a US warship, his first thoughts upon reawakening are his alarm at the fact that his craft is out of service for repairs when it could be needed at any time. Furthermore, he later has to be ordered back to bed by his father when such an emergency occurs. His off-duty demeanour is much less boisterous than his other brothers, indulging in painting and playing the piano. Along with Jeff and Scott, Virgil is the only other Tracy to appear in all 32 episodes of Thunderbirds. However, he does not play a role in every rescue operation. He was also the first character to use the International Rescue radio code "F-A-B" in the first episode. Thunderbirds 2004 film Dominic Colenso portrayed Virgil in the 2004 live action film. However, due to the film focusing on Alan Tracy not much is known about this version of Virgil. During a rescue on a Russian oil rig, Virgil initially piloted Thunderbird 2 to the danger zone. Upon arrival, he allowed his father take command of the craft. They worked alongside Scott in Thunderbird 1 to successfully save the lives of several trapped workers. Upon hearing that Thunderbid 5 had been struck by a missile, Virgil joined the rest of his brothers (with the exception of Alan) as passengers in Thunderbird 3, in an attempt to rescue John from the space station. The emergency proved to be a trap set by The Hood. Virgil spends the majority of the film trapped in Thunderbird 5 alongside Scott, Gordon and John. Thunderbirds Are Go! David Menkin portrayed Virgil in the 2015 TV Series. He is the largest and strongest of the Tracy Brothers and is skilled in engineering and mechanics. His character is calm and level headed and is also the peacemaker in the family. Personality in Thunderbirds (1965-66) Virgil shares a compassionate side of responsibility like his brothers, never placing technology above human needs, even if it means placing his own life in danger. He has a mixed personality that possesses physical strength and bravery with a gentler side of his hobbies of art and piano playing. Personality in TV remake Virgil is, despite his rather big and stern appearance, an affectionate goofball, who delivers one delightfully corny one liner after another. This makes him a great reassurance to rescue victims combined with his calmness and intelligence. His almost deadpan, joking personality goes well with his brothers, especially Gordon Tracy , whom he often travels with in Thunderbird 2 and seems to have a playful rivalry with. He never skips a chance to tell Gordon that his jokes suck, or to prank him, such as when he turned off Thunderbird 2's shower controls before a sweaty Gordon could meet with Lady Penelope in Falling Skies. Virgil's silliness seems to hide an element of gracefulness to him, what with his piano playing skills which were demonstrated in Legacy. Virgil's greatest strength is his realistic and logical thinking, which makes him and the more headstrong Scott Tracy an ideal duo. Every time Scott has told Virgil not to get involved with missions that seem simple enough, the latter disobeys, as he believes "You should always have a backup". This belief proves wise in episodes like Crosscut (where the Mole was needed) and Fireflash (where Thunderbird 2 was needed). Virgil is always able to talk some sense into Scott at his most heedless. With Doctor Peck from Breakdown however, trying to reason doesn't work for Virgil, so he attempted to simply pick the Doctor up and carry him out of the danger zone. Virgil can be quite sensitive on a personal level, as he was upset when he got the impression that everyone forgot his birthday in Breakdown, and didn't leave him a slice of cake when it turned out they had a surprise party planned because Virgil was on such a long mission (MAX left him a slice, however). Virgil was also shown in Unplugged to be very dependent on his technology, and he felt helpless, pessimistic and angry without it when an E.M.F. across London took it away from him. Luckily, Grandma Tracy was there to show him much more simple, old fashioned techniques, and using nothing but brains, brawn and bravery, Virgil brought himself to play a major role in stopping the Luddites' plan. His over-reliance on technology wouldn't completely go away, however, as he would equip the Power Suit in later episodes without seeming to get much use out of it, most notably in Touch And Go. Category:Male Category:Contradictory Category:Pure Good Category:Protector of Innocence Category:Rescuers Category:Siblings Category:Cartoon Heroes Category:Voice of Reason Category:Live Action Heroes Category:TV Show Heroes Category:Successful Category:Falsely Accused Category:Adventurers